Hydrocarbons (oil, natural gas, etc.) are obtained from a subterranean geologic formation (i.e., a “reservoir”) by drilling a well that penetrates the hydrocarbon-bearing formation. The well provides a partial flowpath for the hydrocarbon to reach the surface. Production of the hydrocarbons (travel of the hydrocarbons from the formation to the wellbore and ultimately to the surface) occurs when a sufficiently unimpeded flowpath from the formation to the wellbore is present.
Hydraulic fracturing, also referred to as fracking, is a primary tool for improving well productivity by creating or extending fractures or channels from the wellbore to the reservoir. Pumping of propping granules, or proppants, during the hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas containing earth formations may enhance the hydrocarbon production capabilities of the earth formation. Hydraulic fracturing injects a viscous fluid into an oil and gas bearing earth formation under high pressure, which results in the creation or growth of fractures within the earth formation. These fractures serve as conduits for the flow of hydrocarbons trapped within the formation to the wellbore. To keep the fractures open and capable of supporting the flow of hydrocarbons to the wellbore, proppants are delivered to the fractures within the formation by a carrier fluid and fill the fracture with a proppant pack that is strong enough to resist closure of the fracture due to formation pressure and is also permeable for the flow of the fluids within the formation.
Most fracturing fluids contain a hydrophilic polymer dissolved in a solvent, such as water. The water-soluble polymers most often used are polysaccharides, guar and guar derivatives. A high level of viscosity of a hydrophilic polymer is reached when the polymer is properly hydrated.
In general, the hydration of a polymer is performed in hydration tanks with large volumes that accept a polymer phase gel and water mixture so as to produce a hydrated fluid as part of a continuous preparation of fracturing fluids. Such hydration tanks have focused primarily on mechanical mechanism movement or paddle based mixing processes which involve moving parts, as well as horse power to produce shear forces that increase the hydration rate of the hydratable polymer and establish the desired hydrated fluid viscosity at the hydration tank output. Various methods have been proposed to reduce the size of the hydration tank to increase the hydration rate of a gel during its residence time within the hydration tank.